It's Time
by shippingslut
Summary: Explicit. AU. No zombies. Rick had expected the first Christmas without Lori to be hard but really, he should've known better, his best friend has always been there to help. Shane Walsh can babysit, wrap presents, cook breakfast...perhaps it's finally time for more. (This summary is especially difficult because I may write more.)


"Ya know, we really gotta stop sneaking around like this."

Shane's voice made Rick jump, forcing the scissors in his hand to cut through the wrapping paper at an awkward angle, destroying the perfect lines and crisp folds he'd been working so hard to achieve. It was with a heavy sigh that he finally looked up at his best friend.

"Make sure you lock that," Rick told him, motioning towards his bedroom door. "Carl's been in bed for a few hours but I don't trust him. He's been snooping for gifts, I can tell."

"Well what kid ain't snoopin', tomorrow's Christmas Eve. The wait is probably killin' him."

Rick watched his friend slide through the bedroom door with a twelve pack of Yuengling in one hand, locking the door behind him with the other. Shane had to side step all the gifts spread out over the floor, some wrapped, some not...most not. Rick had been appreciative enough when Shane had babysitted the kids while he'd knocked out their Christmas shopping, but now he owed the other man a kidney for spending the last few nights locked in Rick's bedroom with him, both of them hunched over wrapping paper and bows, arguing over which name tag matched what paper best.

"Guess what I got," Shane said as Rick leaned against the bed to give his back some relief, glancing up.

Shane was still wearing pieces of the their uniform, telling Rick all he needed to know. While he'd been putting the kids to sleep, Shane hadn't been out at some bar picking up some ass - what the other man had a habit of doing. If so, Shane wouldn't have kept on the uniform khakis or the plain black tee he always wore under his King County Deputy's button up. It gave Rick a small peace of mind to know Shane wasn't coming over straight after a romp in the sheets. Maybe it was because it'd been over a year since Rick had a romp in the sheets of his own, or maybe it was because Rick already felt a twinge of guilt when he considered how much him and the kids took Shane away from the bachelor life. Or perhaps, and even more likely, Rick dreaded the day when one of Shane's romps became something more, taking Shane, a vital part of the family Rick had built after Lori's death, away. It was a horribly selfish thought but it was there all the same.

"I said...look what I got," Shane repeated, digging deep in his pocket and tossing Rick a pack of Scotch tape. "And don't waste it all this time. Judy's eleven fuckin' months old, she can't unwrap the shit anyway."

Rick caught the tape and bit back a smile. He'd always hated it when Shane made a valid point.

"Well, we should finish tonight, at least," Rick said, accepting the open beer bottle Shane passed him, glancing up just in time to see Shane lift his shirt to pop the cap off another. There was a flash of skin, just a few bare inches, barely enough for Rick to see the black waist band of Shane's boxer briefs peeking from his pants.

Quickly, Rick put the beer to his lips and guzzled.

"Where do ya want me to start?" Shane asked, finally settling across from Rick on the floor.

"Anywhere." Rick picked up a Playstation game from Carl's stack of presents and tossed it towards him.

He watched Shane set to work, his large hands far less careful with the paper than Rick's had been. Shane either used too much paper or not enough, it was painful to watch him attempt to tape down the bunched up crinkled paper in all the corners.

"You know, you wrap like a five year old, right?" Rick asked, taking a break from his own wrapping to watch Shane work.

"Does it really matter? You know damn well kids don't give a shit how pretty they are. If anything the messy ones look more fun."

"Lori would be rolling over in her grave if she saw -"

"Yeah well, Lori's dead," Shane answered, as blunt as ever.

Once upon a time the words would've stung. Rick would've tightened his jaw, tilted his head, and told Shane to shut it. He'd done just that a few times after the death of his wife when his wounds had been too fresh for Shane's way of putting things. But at the end of the day, Rick had known the man since high school. He knew Shane was just being Shane and really, he was right. Lori was dead - something Rick had finally made peace with. Maybe he'd never make peace with the shape of their marriage by the end or knowing, deep down, Judith had been a band-aid baby, a failed one at that, but he finally felt like the worst of that guilt was in his rear view.

"Next?" Shane asked, throwing the newly wrapped game to the side, moving through the stack much faster than Rick's precise methods ever could.

"This one," Rick answered, pushing Judith's shape sorter in his direction.

"You know I was just busting your balls," Shane said over the sound of folding paper and scotch tape.

Rick met his best friend's familiar brown eyes and guzzled down the rest of his beer, refusing to say anything in response. Shane would get to his point, he always did.

"I know I shouldn't be so insensitive about your old lady," Shane continued, lost in his work. "Don't wanna go and make you blubber on Christmas or some shit. I miss her too, alright? Y'all were my family. Lori was a good woman. Stubborn as shit but she had to be that way if she was dealing with you. And may she rest in peace, but I ain't wrapping these presents to her standards."

Again Rick said nothing and finally Shane glanced up, waiting for a reply.

"Shit, you really gonna cry ain't you?"

Shane definitely had reason to believe that was what Rick was about to do, Rick knew it, Shane knew it. He'd spent more time than he cared to admit leaning on Shane for support and Shane had never complained. When Rick had been too in shock to take care of the newborn whose journey into the world had killed her mother - it was Shane that had been there changing diapers and washing burp rags. It'd been Shane that helped plan the funeral, Shane that had made sure the kids were fed and in bed those first few weeks, Shane that knew those kids so well he'd suggested at least half of the presents they were wrapping. If anyone had earned the right to bust Rick's balls, it was Shane.

Finally Rick realized Shane was still staring at him, waiting to see what Rick was gonna do, like maybe all that silence had been Rick building up to the tears that used to always surface.

Rick felt foolish for getting lost in this thoughts long enough for it to seem that way.

"Fuck you, Shane," Rick eventually answered, smiling to let Shane know it was truly okay.

"Don't offer me shit unless you're willin' to give it," Shane shot back quickly, pausing from his beer long enough for Rick to watch his full lips linger by the bottle.

Rick was aware their gaze lasted a beat too long. He was also aware that he'd just guzzled a beer on an empty stomach and that some of the warmth that flooded his body at Shane's words were from the alcohol. Or so he told himself.

When they'd been in school together and Shane had made similar snarky replies, Rick had told himself Shane was trying to prove he was too macho to be bothered by the rumors that circulated about them. When Rick had gotten married and still Shane had done it, Rick had told himself it was just an old habit too hard to break. Now that Lori was gone and Shane spent more time at Rick's house than his own and the comments continued...Rick was running out of things to tell himself. But yet he found tons of reasons to continue to eyeball his partner, like simple pride. Rick refused to be the first one to look away now that, for once, the words hung in the air instead of quickly being brushed under the rug, laughed off, or ignored.

It was Shane that was forced to respond. Rick watched him rub a hand over the back the back of his head, letting out a loud snort as he finished his beer and looked away.

"Yeah," Shane said with a grin Rick knew had charmed the pants off many women. "That's what I thought."

Rick almost asked what Shane what he meant. What could the silence possibly have told him?

Instead he accepted another opened beer Shane offered him and picked up the scissors when Shane slid some board books and wrapping paper in his direction.

They worked quietly after that, but efficiently. They'd been partners at work for so long that rarely were words even needed to get a job done. Rick knew when to toss Shane the tape, he was that in tune with what the other man was doing - when he was ready for the bag of bows or needed an extra hand to hold down some paper to tape it in a difficult spot. In turn, Shane made sure they both kept a beer in hand. Rick quickly downed his second, even his third. By the time he was finishing his forth the conversation had returned.

Arguments broke out over which gifts had been meant as Santa gifts and which as a parent gift, which paper to use on each, who wrote the names on the name tags so as to make it look like the presents had actually came from an elf even though, at twelve, Carl had long ago learned it was his parents filling out name tags and Judith was too young to care. Still, Rick appreciated Shane's enthusiasm for the task. He'd been nervous approaching their first Christmas without Lori. Mainly for the kids but even for himself if he were honest and alcohol made it easy to be honest. But Shane's presence in the last few weeks had eased the burden on Rick to make sure it was special for his kids.

He held his fifth beer to his mouth and watched Shane put the final touches on the last gift that needed to be wrapped. Shane was on his knees, lip between his teeth, his thick brown hair a mess from all the times he'd no doubt ran a hand over it. Shane's poor wrapping abilities made his big hands seem almost clumsy but Rick knew they were anything but. They were the same hands he'd watched calm victims of domestic disputes, carefully diaper his newborn daughter, Rick had even felt them gripped tightly around the nape of his own neck when Shane had been the one there to comfort him in the waiting room of the hospital, their foreheads pressed together in an act so intimate Rick had felt onlookers actually glance away.

At the time he'd been too lost in fear and grief to consider anything else.

Like how confident Shane's hands probably moved in the most private of moments, how many people he'd expertly guided to climax. It was no secret Shane's number was high and Rick knew his best friend had plenty of repeat customers. Clearly, the service was great.

"And that's the last one," Shane said, chucking a roll of paper to the side and interrupting Rick's thoughts.

It'd been the beer.

Rick couldn't remember the last time he'd drank five so quickly, much less without eating first. The beer was definitely to blame for the way Rick stumbled over his own boots when he stood up and he'd damn sure blame it for everything else too.

They both were moving slowly as they stuffed all gifts into Rick's closet and kicked the rolls of paper and bows under Rick's bed. It was approaching two am and Rick was ready to plop into his bed and sleep the alcohol off. Maybe he could sleep a few other things off too.

He was already kicking off his boots and slipping his white tee over his head when Rick noticed Shane emptying his pockets onto the night stand. Keys, wallet, phone, the works. His thoughts were fuzzy and the intoxication cost him the chance to stop Shane.

"What are you doing?" Rick asked, already knowing the answer.

"Dude, I ain't sleepin' on your couch again. That piece of shit is killin' my back."

"You're not-"

"Oh, I am," Shane assured Rick, giving no room for complaints.

He was already stripping out of his shirt and unbuckling his pants, Rick trying not to watch as Shane stood there in nothing but the boxer briefs that clung to his thick, strong thighs, waiting to see if Rick would waste his time objecting again.

Rick was too drunk to do it. Drunk and tired.

He could have went and slept on the couch himself. Nothing was stopping him. But there was also nothing stopping him when he when unzipped his jeans and left them on the floor to crawl into bed next to Shane.

It was more of a face plant, really. The booze had caught up quick and Rick knew if he didn't close his eyes soon the room would start spinning. Neither of them bothered to turn off the lights or the ceiling fan that was whirling above their heads. The moving air felt good against Rick's flushed skin, allowing him the energy to at least turn his head and look at Shane who laid facing him.

He almost said something - what, he didn't know. But Shane's dark eyes were glassy and the yawn that escaped his lips left little room for conversation.

Rick had just settled for closing his eyes when he felt Shane's heavy hand land on his lower back. Maybe if he'd been semi-conscious Rick would've questioned it or welcomed it or even turned away. Instead Rick just burrowed his head into the pillow and drifted off, the feeling of Shane's palm willing him to sleep.

* * *

When he woke up, Rick had no idea what time it was. Judging from the silence coming from Judith's baby monitor he was positive it couldn't be too late in the morning but he felt too well rested to have only slept for a few hours - what the alcohol still in his system seemed to insinuate. It had to be the Yuengling, right? Being half drunk would explain why, when Shane scooted so close his chest was pressed against Rick's back, Rick didn't move away. Instead he fell into it, relishing in the heat of Shane's skin.

The fan that had been a welcome relief hours before was now doing nothing but pumping frigid air, making it easy for Rick to tuck in tighter, feeling the brush of Shane's cock against his ass, with nothing but the thin fabric of their underwear to separate them.

Rick should've jolted awake. Should've.

But how could he blame Shane for the hard-on pressing against his ass when Rick had woken up stiff every morning the last few months like a man half his age? Shane's erection was digging into him and instead of rolling away Rick actually pushed against his best friend, the sound of Shane's sigh of contentment making Rick's dick ache and swell in response.

He wondered if Shane was even awake yet. Rick knew all too well how bodies could find each other in sleep, how even in dreams a person could seek out pleasure. There'd been many mornings, in the beginning anyway, that he and Lori had awoken tangled up in each other. But Shane wasn't Lori and almost like Shane could read Rick's mind, Rick felt Shane's fingers grip his hip as he pulled Rick even closer, Shane burying his face into Rick's neck.

Shane Walsh was most definitely awake and his cock was grinding against Rick's ass - a touch that sent a flush creeping up Rick's nape and made him want to squirm to help alleviate the pressure that had settled in his own stomach.

Staring at the wall, Rick tried to think of reasons to make it stop.

But that was the problem. All he ended up doing was just that - staring at the wall. No reasons came to him.

Rick was only human. Of course he'd sometimes wondered who would be next after Lori, what it'd be like, how it would feel to expose the most vulnerable parts of himself to someone new. But Shane was not new. In fact, he'd known Shane longer than he'd known his dead wife.

When Rick felt Shane's lips brush against his shoulder, not quite a kiss, not quite nothing...Rick finally swallowed to wet his mouth and spoke.

"What's this?" Rick asked.

"What you think?" Shane answered, his lips finally planting that sought after first kiss in the crook of Rick's neck.

It made Rick suck his breath in, a moan escaping on his lips when he finally exhaled.

"This is me," Shane went on, kissing Rick between his words, making a trail of wet lips down Rick's shoulder. "Doing what I should've done twenty years ago."

And almost as soon as the words were out Shane seemed to have changed his mind.

"No, that's a lie. I love the kids." Another kiss, only this time Shane's stubble brushed against Rick's skin, his breath warm in Rick's ear. "It's just….it's time."

Rick almost objected, it felt like he should. When a person's friend of twenty years suddenly had their dick against their ass and planted kisses softer than Rick had thought possible on his skin...it seemed like the type of thing someone would object to. But the words never came out, Rick didn't want them to anyway. Not really. What he wanted was more of Shane's hands and lips, for Shane's thick fingers to wrap around his cock and finally give him the relief he was aching for.

"It is almost Christmas," Rick spoke, trying to keep his voice steady as he justified what they were doing though it needed none.. "And I didn't get you anything."

"Didn't get you shit either," Shane replied, his fingers digging into Rick's skin while his hips grinded.. "But I might come up with something after all."

"Hmm-"

Before Rick could even finish the thought he felt Shane's hand brush over his crotch, a spark of pleasure lighting hard and fast.

Shane's fingers traced his length through the fabric, making Rick's cock stiffen, almost painfully, he was that desperate for the touch. He could still feel Shane's breath on his skin, coming a little faster now that Shane was finally taking care of a need that had been building between them for decades.

It was almost cruel. Shane had always been the pushy one, the headstrong, the one in a rush. But suddenly Shane's patience was torturous, lazily tracing the shape of Rick's dick, grabbing his nuts through his underwear...it was no wonder so many women spread their legs for him. Shane cupped Rick's balls with a gentle tug all the while kissing and sucking Rick's neck, and if that wasn't bad enough Rick could feel Shane's cock still pressed against his back, hard and hot.

Still, it wasn't enough.

Rick wanted Shane's skin on his, he wanted hard and fast strokes, it'd been too long since anything other than his own hand had wrapped around his dick. And knowing it was Shane made Rick all the more desperate. Shane had seen him at his best, his worst, and everything in between, it was about time the other man finally rubbed over his bulge and grunted into his ear when Rick's dick gave an appreciative pulse, a small stain already seeping through the fabric.

"You ain't in a rush are you?" Shane whispered between the kisses and bites that peppered Rick's back, his voice deep with his arousal.

It made Rick twist and grunt, his eyes closing so he could better focus on the sensation of Shane's feather light traces, small sweeps of his fingers tracing over Rick's stiff erection, simply building Rick's ache instead of relieving it.

"Easy for you to say," Rick managed to mumble, his hand finding Shane's to try and will him where Rick wanted it. "You get laid all the time."

"Wrong."

And almost like Shane was punishing Rick for the supposed incorrect statement, he clutched Rick's solid length and squeezed, making Rick arch towards Shane's hand on a whimper.

"I'm here all the time," Shane continued, giving Rick another stroke. "Really, when was the last time I came over smellin' like sex? Or left early for some pussy?"

Rick was drawing a blank on the question but even if he'd known the answer he couldn't think straight anyway. He didn't particularly wanna do anything straight, anymore.

"Shane…"

"Mmmm?" Shane asked, finally reaching for Rick's waistband and sticking his hand inside.

The warmth of his skin on Rick's hot cock made that fire in Rick's belly burn, overwhelmingly, until Rick throbbed in Shane's palm. When Shane completely freed him from the confines of his boxer briefs, Rick forced his eyes open so he could watch that hand he was so familiar with finally wrapped around his dick.

It was a beautiful sight, made better when Shane finally gave Rick a long, steady stroke from base to tip, both of them sharing a moan, easing the ache in Rick bit by bit.

Shane was pressed against him so tightly Rick could still feel his friend seeking for his own relief against Rick's ass. Between Shane's hands working him in the front and Shane's cock grinding into his ass, Rick was dying a slow, horrifically pleasurable death.

Finally Shane's strokes were growing in speed and pressure, gripping Rick and working him fast and steady, Rick grinding his own hips to help get himself there. He was desperate for that knot of pressure in his stomach to unravel but he knew it would happen on Shane's time. Whenever Rick's grunts grew too frequent Shane would slow his efforts, allow his hand to circle only the head of Rick's dick, neglecting the needy inches that burned for attention. When finally the trickle of precum slowed, Shane would edge back down Rick's length, using the fluid to coat Rick's flesh on the way down.

Rick's stomach contracted when Shane's lips started sucking the pulse point on his neck, right in tune with the flurry of strokes his wrist offered. He was getting there...quickly. Shane's biceps were flexed from the force he jerked Rick and each time his hand traveled from tip to base Rick let out a groan so raw that it was hard to believe it'd even came from him, Rick had never heard himself make such a noise.

He closed his eyes and imagined the wet lips on his neck were working his dick, that instead of squeezing Shane's hand as it stroked him he was running it through Shane's hair while he fucked his friend's face.

His balls were wickedly tight, ready to unload with just a few more strokes, forcing Rick to bite his lip and twist as the musky scent of their shared arousal hit his nostrils.

His hips rocked with Shane's rhythm and just as Rick's cock stiffened, Shane pulled his hand away and rubbing Rick's abdomen instead, comforting him for the cruel tease.

And God was it cruel.

Rick cried out, his cock painfully hard, gasping for the breathe he'd been so close to releasing.

"Fuck," he finally panted out, collasping onto his back when Shane moved to straddle Rick's legs.

"Calm down, cowboy," Shane assured him as the reality of what was about to happen hit. "You'll get there."

Rick watched Shane get comfortable atop him, Shane's hard cock straining inside the black boxer briefs he had still had on but instead of making a move to please himself, he slipped Rick's underwear down further instead, Rick's cock still standing completely erect.

This time Shane was swift.

Before Rick could even whisper a please, Shane leaned down and popped Rick inside his mouth, the tight wet suction hitting Rick so hard his lip quivered.

It was then that Rick finally gave into every desire about his best friend he'd ever had - he ran his fingers down the stubble he'd only ever been allowed to admire until then, grunting when Shane's head bobbed on his dick. Next came the thick brown hair, Rick grabbing as hard has he could, sinking his fingers in Shane's sweaty strands and forcing Shane's mouth to move to the beat Rick craved.

Shane's moan paralyzed him.

Knowing the taste of Rick's angry red flesh made his best friend whimper forced Rick's hands to drop, allowing Shane to come up for a quick second, just long enough to plant a few wet, sloppy kisses on Rick's abdomen, Shane's brow dripping a trail of sweat.

When the head of Rick's cock found Shane's lips again, Shane give the sensitive ridge of tight skin a swift lick and suck, making Rick want to strain against the mattress, if only he could. Shane's weight was holding him down, forcing him to suffer through the onslaught of pleasure.

Finally Rick hit the back of Shane's throat, the very same moment Shane used a free hand to cup Rick's balls and moan on his dick.

Rick looked down to watch Shane suck his cock, taking every hard inch, both of them grunting as Rick edged closer and closer to the cliff.

Shane's mouth was tight and wet, better than any pussy Rick had ever fucked, and he knew he was a goner.

His cock stiffened inside Shane's mouth, a strangled cry releasing just as Shane's steady suction increased in pace, sensing Rick's release.

For a split second Rick considered holding Shane's head in place, forcing Shane to swallow his load but to his surprise Shane stayed there willingly, letting the head of Rick's dick slide to his throat, giving a quick gag right before Rick's spurted the first of his slick release, followed by a few more pulses, a steady stream of cum filling Shane's mouth as Rick's cock throbbed until his balls were empty. Shane swallowed every last drop.

It was hard to breathe at first.

Rick's eyes were still on Shane, his stomach rising and falling rapidly, attempting to regain a grip on the world around him when Shane maneuvered himself between Rick's thighs, the two of them coming chest to chest. Rick could feel Shane's dick, still hard and straining, between their bodies as Shane rested his forehead against Rick's. The smell of Rick's arousal was still on Shane's breath when Shane exhaled and all Rick could do was stare at Shane's lips, desperate to feel them on his own. He wanted to know what the mouth that had just gotten him off tasted like, how it felt when Shane's tongue slipped inside.

And it seemed Shane could read his mind.

Finally Shane grabbed Rick's jaw in his large hand, angled Rick's lips towards his, but held it there for a beat, long enough for the two to make eye contact.

Rick held his gaze, both acknowledging what had just changed between them, but before either could close that distance they both heard it - the beginning of a cry coming from the baby monitor on Rick's night stand.

"Fuck," Shane groaned, immediately dropping his head into Rick's neck. "Fuck, fuck."

He wasn't angry, but Rick could feel his sweaty muscles tense under the hand Rick used to stroke over Shane's back.

Shane buried his face and bit down on Rick's shoulder, letting out a moan so vulnerable that Rick's cock threatened to harden again.

"I'll get her," Rick told him, even though his legs felt weak and his heart was still pounding.

"No, I will," Shane mumbled. "You need to clean yourself up."

Rick wasn't going to argue with him. But still, neither of them made a move to get up at first. Shane stayed nestled between Rick's legs, his erection very slowly subsiding as he breathed through the massive case of blue balls Rick knew he had to have. Rick was still catching his own breath as Shane planted a few kisses in his collar bone, neither of them needing to speak about what had just occurred.

The baby monitored squawked again and finally Shane got up, searching the floor for his pants.

Rick watched him slide them on and actually winced too when Shane stuffed his half-hard bulge into his pants. He may have also watched the way Shane's abs dripped sweat and his muscles tensed when he ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm gonna take a leak, then get her. You comin'?"

"I think I just did," Rick answered, making Shane grin and nod.

"I mean downstairs, jackass."

Rick nodded and watched Shane leave, his eyes growing heavy as soon as the bedroom door shut. He knew he'd just promised to be down but he also knew there was no rush. Shane would have it under control, Shane always did. The man could take care of his kids, wrap their presents, and make Rick cum so hard he still felt weak. There wasn't a doubt in Rick's mind he couldn't afford to take a little cat nap, his family would be okay without him. And that was what Shane was - his family.

Finally Rick gave in and closed his eyes, still aching for the kiss his baby daughter had interrupted.

* * *

An hour and a half later Rick was finally up, freshly showered, and following the scent of something cooking in the kitchen. Every muscle in his body felt loose and relaxed, like a spring that had been wound tight for years had finally uncoiled and he supposed it had. Since Lori's passing he'd been dreading a Christmas without her and while he knew it'd never be the same, especially for Carl, he had to admit the warmth in his home had little to do with the heat pumping through the vents.

He found Shane in the kitchen.

Judith was in her high chair, still in her footed pajamas, shoving fistfulls of pancakes into her mouth and laughing at whatever nonsense it was that Shane was telling her. Rick loved that about Shane, that the other man actually spoke to his children. So many adults brushed kids under the rug but Shane had always taken Carl's words seriously and he knew Shane would do the same for a daughter.

The baby smiled when she saw her dad and Rick planted a quick kiss on her head before approaching Shane who was still shirtless, standing over the hot stove.

"Pancakes?" Rick asked, making Shane glance his way.

His brown eyes gave Rick a once over, openly, unlike all the times in the past when Shane had made quick work of it in hopes no one would notice. Rick had always noticed.

"Carl said they were a Christmas Eve tradition."

"They are," Rick confirmed. "Cooking them anyway, never eating them. Lori could barely even boil water much less make an edible pancake."

"Well, I assure you my pancakes will go down just right."

"Mmm," Rick nodded. "I believe it."

Rick took a step closer and he could still smell the sweat on Shane's skin, the faint odor that wasn't unappealing but a welcome reminder of what had just happened. The urge to kiss Shane's lips was still there, maybe more than ever now that he'd taken a break from Shane's body.

"Where is Carl?" Rick asked, leaning against the counter next to the stove as Shane flipped a pancake.

"He's upstairs on the phone, Lori's parents called and wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas."

Rick nodded, realizing his chance.

"He also said tonight they're supposed to be allowed to open one gift...another tradition," Shane went on, turning off the eye and facing Rick. "But before all that goes down I wanna run to my place and get some clean clothes."

"Get them all," Rick replied, meeting his Shane's eyes as a moment of understanding passed between them.

"All?" Shane asked, biting down on his lip with a pleased grin. "Should I get myself a change of address card too, Rick?"

Rick nodded. "It's time...dont' ya think?"

"And what do we tell Carl?" Shane responded, his mind going to the only concern Rick had.

"Nothing he doesn't need to know, not yet. He's a tough kid, we'll figure it out as we go."

That time it was Shane's turned to nod, sucking in that top lip Rick sorely wanted to taste.

Judith was still giggling at the table when Rick did it - reached out and pulled Shane towards him with a finger he'd looped through Shane's belt loop.

"What about work?" Shane asked, beginning to close the distance.

"They already think it anyway, we'll just be confirming it."

Shane was about to respond but Rick didn't allow it. Instead he finally got what he'd fallen asleep thinking about, the taste of Shane's lips on his. Shane's hand came up to hold Rick's jaw again as their lips finally got to meet this time, their bodies closing the distance too.

The first kiss was short, a trial run, but the moment Rick pulled away to look into Shane's eyes, they both closed the gap again, this time their lips parting to make room for each other. The deeper kiss was what Rick had been craving, his hands resting on Shane's wide hips to hold him place, fighting to keep it PG for the little eyes in the room.

All Judith saw were two people who loved each other sharing a morning kiss, what millions of other kids saw each morning, but Rick knew it was a first for his young daughter. If she had any objections her laughter did little to prove it.

Finally, Rick pulled away, nowhere close to being sated, but it was enough for the moment. They had time.


End file.
